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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles put up billboards in late November 2017 in the Detroit area to fill skilled trades, hourly UAW jobs at its plants, including specific opportunities at the Sterling Heights Assembly where FCA is launching the Ram 1500.(Photo: FCA US)

What if you're not necessarily looking for a new car but maybe you'd like a new job?

The North American International Auto Show is rolling out a way to showcase strategies for building a career in the auto industry.

On Jan. 20-21, the Detroit auto show at Cobo Center will host a new concept called the Future Automotive Career Exposition at the AutoMobili-D section of the show, an exhibit featuring technologies related to self-driving cars. The group includes automakers, suppliers and startups.

The career event is planned to run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the first two days the auto show is open to the public. People who are interested in working in the automotive and mobility industries will have access to experts who can address how to get started in those fields.

Sure, we're talking about job openings in the highly cyclical auto industry, even though we're increasingly captivated by the race to build highly technical self-driving cars and trucks.

Yet experts say we're likely to see all sorts of creative approaches for filling many jobs in 2018.

Driving around town during the holidays, I actually spotted a billboard advertising jobs in auto factories. Really? I had to do a double take.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles put up billboards in the Detroit area to fill skilled trades, hourly UAW jobs at its plants, including specific opportunities at the Sterling Heights Assembly where FCA is launching the all-new Ram 1500. The new 2019 model truck will launch this quarter. The starting hourly salary for a skilled trades employee is about $34, according to an FCA spokesperson.

The automaker began using the billboards in late November, along with job fairs, in-plant postings, referrals, social media and radio ads to fill jobs. The two billboards that went up were at I-75 north, just south of 9 Mile Road, and on Van Dyke, south of 14 Mile Road, according to FCA.

Fiat Chrysler has no plans to recruit at the Detroit auto show.

We shouldn't be surprised to spot employers doing all they can to hire the right fit for the job in 2018 when we're looking at ultra-low unemployment levels. The U.S. jobless rate was 4.1% in December — and the expectation is that the rate will drop further into 2018.

Manufacturing should have a good year in 2018, he said, given a strong global economy and a declining dollar that will boost U.S. trade.

To be sure, U.S. auto industry production is expected to pull back. Cox Automotive, for example, is forecasting that 16.7 million new cars and light trucks will be sold in North America in 2018. If so, we could be looking at nearly a 3% drop this year from the 17.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2017.

After seven years of growth, the industry had its first down year in 2017 after hitting a record 17.55 million cars and trucks sold in 2016.

This year, it's likely that automakers could need to adjust production with shifts in consumer demand and deal with anticipated lower sales volumes.

"Auto manufacturing jobs will be fluid in the next few years," said Michelle Krebs, senior analyst at Autotrader.

At the same time, though, auto manufacturers and suppliers often express some difficulty in trying to fill engineering, software and technically skilled jobs.

"Software engineers remain in high demand, particularly those with experience in driver-assist technologies," said Charlie Chesborough, senior economist at Cox Automotive, which includes the Kelley Blue Book and AutoTrader sites.

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A Future Automotive Career Exposition is scheduled for Jan. 20-21 at the Detroit auto show. File art of the final public day of the 2017 North American International Auto Show at Cobo Center in Detroit in 2017.(Photo: Elaine Cromie, Detroit Free Press)

"Detroit's major automakers are competing with Silicon Valley for these type of workers, as well as other manufacturing sectors."

Fiat Chrysler, for example, noted that skilled trades positions are harder to fill because of the unique qualifications. Skills needed include electrical, mechanical, tool maker, die maker, pipefitter, machine repair and energy center operator. See FCA job openings at www.fcagroupcareers.com. Candidates can search for positions by state at manufacturing facilities in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

The career-related event at the Detroit auto show takes place only during the first two days that the show is open to the public. The career event is a partnership with Michigan Department of Talent and Economic Development, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and NAIAS.

"The event isn't designed to be a typical job fair," said Dave Murray, communications director at the Michigan Department of Talent and Economic Development.

Instead, the goal is to raise awareness about the types of jobs that exist. A series of panels and presentations will feature employers, educators and others who can talk about the skills in demand, opportunities for training, and where these evolving industries are headed, Murray said.

Michigan employers looking to fill high-skill jobs in many industries also are listed at www.mitalent.org. The site includes information about career fairs and hiring events.

Many companies that have a presence at AutoMobili-D have jobs listed on their web sites. Many jobs listed will be outside Michigan. About 80 employers, universities and organizations are planning to participate in AutoMobili-D.

Employers may be looking to fill many positions that require science, technology, engineering and math skills.

Interview rooms also will be available at AutoMobili-D, if companies wish to meet face-to-face with potential applicants.

Lori Pessina, director of talent acquisition for P3 North America in Southfield, part of the P3 Group, said the international management consulting and engineering solutions company is looking for "out-of-the-box thinkers with an entrepreneurial mindset."

She said the company has never tried attracting talent at an auto show and it is still getting information from coordinators of the event.

"There is a low supply and high demand for these types of candidates," Pessina said. "The candidates with this skill set entering the workforce are often plucked by large, big-brand companies before they even graduate, so the competition is fierce."

She said P3 North America is projecting another year of growth, including expanding into electrification and anticipating growth in fields such as autonomous data and analytics testing. The U.S. operation is based in Southfield with six other locations in the United States, including 160 employees in Michigan. The company was founded in Germany in 1996 and P3 North America was started in 2008.

The company helps its customers overcome disruptive changes in mobility technologies throughout the connected and autonomous vehicle ecosystem. Access to AutoMobili-D — which includes the panel discussions about careers in automotive and mobility, and access to the companies — is included with an auto show ticket. Some of the participating companies are arranging interviews with applicants, and those people would have access without needing a ticket, Murray said.